JP2012161856A - Pallet device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pallet device that can easily position a pallet mounted with an article thereon, rotate the pallet and secure a high degree of freedom in movement of the pallet.SOLUTION: This pallet device includes: a conveying pallet moving on a conveyer line; and a work pallet arranged oppositely to the conveying pallet on an upper side of the conveying pallet. The conveying pallet includes: a first spherical body support device with a rotatable spherical body on a surface opposed to the work pallet; and a second spherical body support device with a spherical body which is rotatable and is sunk by being pushed from the above. The work pallet includes: a first recess which is provided on a surface opposed to the conveying pallet, to which the spherical body provided in the first spherical body support device is engaged and which positions the work pallet in relation to the conveying pallet; and a second recess to which the spherical body provided in the second spherical body support device is engaged and which forms a rotary shaft of the work pallet.

Description

  The present invention relates to a pallet apparatus that can transport a mounted article and can rotate or move the article.

  Conventionally, a conveyance mechanism that conveys an article placed on a pallet device along a conveyor line is known. Such a conveyance mechanism may be utilized as a conveyor line (work line) for product manufacture. When such a transport mechanism is used for manufacturing a product, the product may be transported on a conveyor line in a state where the product is placed on a pallet in order to avoid damage to the product to be transported. Moreover, various operations are performed on the products on the conveyor line. In order to perform these operations efficiently, the transport mechanism may include a mechanism for rotating the product placed on the pallet. For example, a transport mechanism having a receiving table on which a plurality of balls are rotatably embedded with their upper portions exposed on the upper surface and a pallet is placed at a predetermined work position is known (for example, Patent Document 1). The transport mechanism includes a stopper that engages with an engagement hole provided at the center of the pallet. This stopper is embedded in a slot provided in the center of the cradle and is urged upward by an elastic member. The stopper is fitted into the engagement hole when the engagement hole and the groove hole face each other. And it is extracted from an engagement hole by a moving means. If the transport mechanism includes such a stopper, the pallet can be rotated on the cradle, so that it is easy to work on the product placed on the pallet.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-18028

  However, the transport mechanism must include a moving mechanism for removing the stopper inserted in the engagement hole provided in the pallet. In addition, when the product manufacturing process includes operations that are difficult to perform on the conveyor line, the product may be extracted from the conveyor line. For example, when a product operation test or the like is performed. Even when the product is extracted from the conveyor line, the product is desirably placed on a pallet. When the transport mechanism in Patent Document 1 is used, it is considered difficult to move the pallet on which the product is placed to a work table on which a test or the like is performed. The pallet once extracted is returned to the conveyor line again. However, in this case, it is not easy to return the pallet to the conveyor line.

  Therefore, the pallet device disclosed in this specification is capable of easily positioning a pallet on which an article is placed, rotating the pallet, and ensuring a high degree of freedom of movement of the pallet. To do.

  The pallet apparatus disclosed in the present specification includes a transport pallet that moves on a conveyor line, a work pallet that is disposed on the upper side of the transport pallet so as to face the transport pallet, and on which an article to be transported is placed, and the transport A first sphere support device provided with a sphere on a surface facing the work pallet, and a second sphere provided with a sphere provided on the transport pallet and sinking when pressed from above. A support device and a first recess provided on a surface of the work pallet facing the transport pallet, the sphere included in the first sphere support device is engaged, and the work pallet is positioned with respect to the transport pallet; A sphere provided on the surface of the work pallet facing the transport pallet, the sphere included in the second sphere support device is engaged, and the rotation axis of the work pallet is It is characterized by comprising a second recess for forming.

  When the sphere provided in the first sphere support device is engaged with the first recess and the sphere provided in the second sphere support device is engaged with the second recess, the work pallet is positioned with respect to the transport pallet. be able to. For example, when the article is conveyed along the conveyor line, such a positioning state can be obtained.

  From such a positioning state, a force for rotating the work pallet is applied to the work pallet. Then, the work pallet can be rotated by the rotation axis of the work pallet formed by engaging the sphere included in the second sphere support device with the second recess. The work pallet rides on the sphere included in the first sphere support device and enters a state of floating, and the engagement between the sphere included in the first sphere support device and the first recess is released. On the other hand, the sphere included in the second sphere support device floats following the work pallet that is in the state of being lifted as described above, and maintains the engaged state with the second recess. When the sphere included in the second sphere support device is engaged with the second recess, the work pallet can rotate stably because the rotation axis of the work pallet is formed.

  Further, a force that moves the work pallet is applied to the work pallet from the positioning state as described above. Then, the work pallet rides on the sphere provided in the first sphere support device and the sphere provided in the second sphere support device. In this manner, the engagement between the sphere provided in the first sphere support device and the first recess is released, and the engagement between the sphere provided in the second sphere support device and the second recess is released. As a result, the work pallet can move freely with respect to the transport pallet. That is, a high degree of freedom of movement of the work pallet can be ensured.

  According to the pallet device disclosed in this specification, a pallet (work pallet) on which articles are placed can be easily positioned and rotated, and a high degree of freedom of movement of the pallet (work pallet) is ensured. Can do.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a pallet device of a first comparative example. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a pallet device of a second comparative example. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the first sphere support device. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the pallet apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a second sphere support device in the embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the top of the support sphere included in the first sphere support device and the top of the sphere included in the second sphere support device. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a relationship between the support sphere and the work pallet in the pallet apparatus according to the embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, in the drawings, the dimensions, ratios, and the like of each part may not be shown so as to completely match the actual ones.

  First, before describing the pallet apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, a first comparative example will be described with reference to FIG. 1, and a second comparative example will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1A is a plan view of the pallet device 100 of the first comparative example, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the pallet device 100. FIG. 2A is a plan view of the pallet device 150 of the second comparative example, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the pallet device 150.

  The pallet device 100 according to the first comparative example can move the product 2 that is the conveyance target along the conveyor line. The pallet device 100 includes a transport pallet 103 that moves on a conveyor line. Further, a work pallet 104 is provided on the upper side of the transport pallet 103 so as to face the transport pallet 103. That is, the transport pallet 103 and the work pallet 104 can be in an overlapped state. The product 2 is placed on the work pallet 104.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the transport pallet 103 includes a sphere support device 105 on a surface 103a facing the work pallet 104. As shown in FIG. 1A, the sphere support device 105 is disposed at the four corners of the rectangle and at the center of the rectangle.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the sphere support device 105. The spherical body support device 105 includes a holding base 105a. The holding pedestal 105a has a hemispherical hole, and a plurality of small balls 105b are laid in the hole. A support sphere 105c is disposed above the small sphere 105b. Then, the support sphere 105c is rotatable by attaching the cover member 105d to the holding base 105a. The support sphere 105c is an example of a rotatable sphere. As will be described later, the sphere support device 105 is the same as the sphere support device 105 in the second comparative example 2, and is also the same as the first sphere support device 5 of the present embodiment.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1B, the work pallet 104 includes a recess 104b in which a support sphere 105c included in the sphere support device 105 is engaged with a surface 104a facing the transport pallet 103. The concave portion 104 b is arranged corresponding to the arrangement of the sphere support device 105. The inner peripheral surface of the recess 104b has a curved surface corresponding to the surface shape of the support sphere 105c. The work pallet 104 is positioned with respect to the transport pallet 103 by engaging the support sphere 105 c with all the recesses 104 b.

  In such a pallet apparatus 100, when a worker applies a force from the side to the work pallet 104, the support sphere 105c rotates and the engagement between the support sphere 105c and the recess 104b is easily released. Thereby, in FIG. 1A, the work pallet 104 can freely move with respect to the transport pallet 103 as indicated by an arrow 107. It is also possible to rotate the work pallet 104 depending on how the operator applies a force to the work pallet 104.

  However, the pallet device 100 does not include a rotation shaft when the worker rotates the work pallet 104. For this reason, the rotation operation of the work pallet 104 may become unstable.

  Next, the pallet device 150 of the second comparative example will be described. Similar to the pallet device 100, the pallet device 150 includes a transport pallet 153 and a work pallet 154 disposed to face the transport pallet 153.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, the same is true in that a sphere support device 155 is provided on a surface 153a facing the work pallet 154. As described above, the spherical support device 155 is the same as the spherical support device 105. That is, a holding pedestal 155a, a small sphere 155b, and a support sphere 155c are provided.

  The pallet device 150 is also in common with the pallet device 100 in that the work pallet 154 includes a recess 154b that engages with a support sphere 155c included in the spherical support device 155 on a surface 154a that faces the transport pallet 153.

  However, the pallet device 150 includes a rotating shaft member 156 instead of the spherical support device 105 disposed in the center of the pallet device 100. In this respect, the pallet device 100 and the pallet device 150 are different. The work pallet 154 of the pallet device 150 includes a shaft member insertion hole 154c into which the rotation shaft member 156 is inserted. The rotation shaft member 156 can penetrate the conveyance pallet 153 and is inserted into the shaft member insertion hole 154c, thereby creating a rotation axis AX for the work pallet 154 to rotate.

  In the pallet device 150, the work pallet 154 can be moved relative to the transport pallet 153 by removing the rotary shaft member 156 from the shaft member insertion hole 154 c. Further, when rotating the work pallet 154, the rotating shaft member 156 is protruded and inserted into the shaft member insertion hole 154c to create the rotating shaft AX. Thereby, the work pallet 154 can be rotated in a stable state.

  However, the pallet device 150 requires installation of a mechanism for inserting and removing the rotary shaft member 156. For this reason, the cost of the whole apparatus rises. Moreover, since the process of making the rotary shaft member 156 appear and disappear is incorporated while the product is being conveyed on the conveyor line, the conveyance time may be prolonged.

  Next, the pallet apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the pallet device 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the second sphere support device 6 in the embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the top 5c1 of the support sphere 5c included in the first sphere support device 5 and the top 6c1 of the support sphere 6c included in the second sphere support device 6. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the relationship between the sphere and the work pallet in the pallet apparatus 1 of the embodiment.

  The pallet device 1 can move the product 2 that is a conveyance object along the conveyor line 50. The conveyor line 50 includes a roller 51, and the pallet device 1 moves by being mounted on the roller 51. The pallet device 1 includes a transport pallet 3 that moves on the conveyor line 50. A work pallet 4 is provided above the transfer pallet 3 so as to be opposed to the transfer pallet 3. That is, the transport pallet 3 and the work pallet 4 can be in an overlapped state.

  The transport pallet 3 includes a first sphere support device 5 and a second sphere support device 6 on a surface 3 a facing the work pallet 4 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4A-1 and the like, the first sphere support device 5 is disposed at each of the four corners of the rectangle. Moreover, the 2nd spherical body support apparatus 6 is arrange | positioned at the rectangular center part. In addition, the number of the 1st spherical body support apparatuses 5 is not limited to four, What is necessary is just the number which can support the work pallet 4 in the stable state. Further, the position at which the second sphere support 6 is arranged is not limited to the center. The second spherical body support 6 creates a rotation axis AX of the work pallet 4 as will be described in detail later. For this reason, the 2nd spherical body support apparatus 6 is provided in the location which wants to form the rotating shaft AX.

  The first sphere support device 5 is the same as the sphere support device 105 described with reference to FIG. That is, the first sphere support device 5 includes a holding pedestal 5a, a small sphere 5b, a support sphere 5c, and a cover member 5d.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the second sphere support device 6. The second sphere support device 6 includes a holding base 6a. The inside of the holding pedestal 6a is hollow. And the spring member 6b is installed in the cavity. Further, a support sphere 5c is placed on the upper side of the spring member 6b. Then, the support sphere 5c is in a rotatable state by mounting the cover member 5d on the holding base 5a. The support sphere 5c placed on the spring member 6b is an example of a sphere that can sink by being pressed from above. In other words, the support sphere 105c can be compressed from the upper side to compress the spring member 5b and sink into the holding base 5a. The support sphere 5c can return to its original position when the force from above is removed. An axis passing through the center of the support sphere 5c and extending in the vertical direction coincides with the rotation axis AX.

  On the other hand, the work pallet 4 includes a first recess 4b and a second recess 4c on a surface 4a facing the transport pallet 3, as shown in FIG. A support sphere 5c included in the first sphere support device 5 is engaged with the first recess 4b. The 1st recessed part 4b should just be a recessed part with which the support sphere 5c can engage, and is a through-hole in a present Example. A support sphere 6c included in the second sphere support device 6 is engaged with the second recess 4c. The 2nd recessed part 4c should just be a recessed part with which the support sphere 6c can engage, and is a through-hole in a present Example. The second recess 4c forms the rotation axis AX of the work pallet 4 when the support sphere 6c is engaged.

  Here, the positional relationship between the position of the top 6c1 of the support sphere 6c included in the second sphere support device 6 and the top 5c1 of the support sphere 5c included in the first sphere support device 5 will be described with reference to FIG. The top portion 6c1 of the support sphere 6c protrudes closer to the work pallet 4 than the top portion 5c1 of the support sphere 5c in a state where the top portion 6c1 is not pressed, that is, is not submerged. In the present embodiment, the top portion 6c1 protrudes toward the work pallet 4 by a height t from the top portion 5c1. In order to create such a relationship, the second sphere support device 6 is installed on a plate 7 for raising. Since the top portion 6c1 protrudes to the work pallet 4 side from the top portion 5c1, the support sphere 6c and the second recess 4c are in a state where the engagement between the support sphere 5c and the first recess 4b is released. Is easily maintained. That is, the rotation axis AX is easily maintained.

  The above relationship can also be created without using the plate 7. For example, the support sphere 6c may be protruded by changing the diameter of the support sphere 6c. In addition, the top part 5c1 shall point out the part which exists in the highest position at that time in the support sphere 5c which can rotate. Similarly, the top portion 6c1 refers to a portion that is present at the highest position in the rotatable support sphere 6c.

  Here, specifications such as dimensions of each part of the pallet device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7A shows a positioning state in which the support sphere 5c is engaged with the first recess 4b and the support sphere 6c is engaged with the second recess 4c. FIG. 7B shows a so-called rotational state in which the engagement between the support sphere 5c and the first recess 4b is released and the engagement between the support sphere 6c and the second recess 4c is maintained. FIG. 7C shows a movement state in which the engagement between the support sphere 5c and the first recess 4b and the engagement between the support sphere 6c and the second recess 4c are both released.

  The thickness of the work pallet 4 is T. In the positioning state shown in FIG. 7A, the height from the surface 3a facing the work pallet 4 of the transport pallet 3 serving as the reference surface in the height direction to the work pallet 4 (surface 4a) is H1. In the rotation state shown in FIG. 7B and the movement state shown in FIG. 7C, the height from the surface 3a to the surface 4a is H2. The weight of the work pallet 4 is W. The height from the surface 3a to the top 5c1 of the support sphere 5c is h1. The radius of the support sphere 5c is r1. The diameter of the first recess 4b is R1. The depth of engagement of the support sphere 5c with the first recess 4b is t1. The number n of the supporting spheres 5c is n = 4. The stroke amount of the spring member 6b is ST. The raised height of the second sphere support device 6 (= plate thickness of the plate 7) is Pt. The height from the upper surface 7a of the plate 7 to the top portion 6c1 of the support sphere 6c in the rotation state shown in FIG. 7B is h2. The radius of the support sphere 6c is r2. The diameter of the second recess 4c is R2. In the positioning state shown in FIG. 7A and the rotation state shown in FIG. 7B, the depth of engagement of the support sphere 6c with the second recess 4c is t2. The spring load of the spring member 6 is w. In this embodiment, r1 = r2.

  There is a relationship of R1 <2 × r1 between the first recess 4b and the support sphere 5c. Thereby, the support sphere 5c is engaged with the first recess 4b. Similarly, there is a relationship of R2 <2 × r2 with the second recess 4dt support sphere 6c.

  There is a relationship of T> t1 between the plate thickness of the work pallet 4 and the engagement depth of the support sphere 5c. Thereby, it is avoided that the top part 5c1 of the support sphere 5c is exposed from the upper surface of the work pallet 4 on which the product 2 is placed. Similarly, there is a relationship of T> t2 between the thickness of the work pallet 4 and the engagement depth of the support sphere 6c.

  In the positioning state shown in FIG. 7A, the height H1 from the surface 3a to the surface 4a has a relationship of H1 = h1-t1. In the rotation state shown in FIG. 7B and the movement state shown in FIG. 7C, the work pallet 4 rides on the support sphere 5c. For this reason, the height H2 from the surface 3a to the surface 4a is H2 = h1. h1 and h2 have a relationship of h1 ≦ h2. The raising amount (plate thickness of the plate 7) Pt is set to Pt = t1. The stroke amount ST of the spring member 6b is ST ≧ Pt. The spring load w of the spring member 6 is set to be w = W / (n + 1), that is, w = W / (4 + 1). This is a condition for allowing the work pallet 4 to be placed so that the spring member 6 contracts and the support sphere 6c can sink.

The operation of the pallet apparatus 1 as described above will be described.
≪Positioning state≫
First, the positioning state will be described. In the positioning state, as shown in FIGS. 4A-1 and 4A-2, the support sphere 5c is engaged with the first recess 4b, and the support sphere 6c is engaged with the second recess 4c. To do. When the transport pallet 3 is transported on the conveyor line 50, the positioning state is set. The support sphere 5c engages with the first recess 4b, and the support sphere 6c engages with the second recess 4c, so that the work pallet 4 on the transport pallet 4 is stabilized, and the product 2 is transported in this state. Can do. At this time, the supporting sphere 6c is pressed, and the spring member 6b is compressed and sunk. The compressed spring member 6b presses the support sphere 6c toward the second recess 4c.

≪Rotation state≫
Next, the rotation state will be described. In the rotation state, the engagement between the first recess 4b and the support sphere 5c is released as shown in FIGS. 4B-1 and B-2. The support sphere 5c can rotate. For this reason, when the work pallet 4 receives a force such as F1, the periphery of the first recess 4b can easily ride on the support sphere 5c, and the engagement between the first recess 4b and the support sphere 5c is It is easily released. As the part other than the first recess 4b of the work pallet 4 rides on the support sphere 5c, the work pallet 4 is lifted by t1 as shown in FIG. 7B. On the other hand, even when the work pallet 4 is lifted by t1, the support sphere 6c is pressed by the spring member 6b so as to follow the second recess 4c. That is, it is extended by the stroke amount St, and the engagement state between the two is maintained. Thus, when the 2nd recessed part 4c and the support sphere 6c are in the state engaged, the rotating shaft AX is formed. For this reason, the work pallet 4 can rotate as indicated by an arrow 8 about the rotation axis AX. When the work pallet 4 rotates with respect to the transport pallet 3, the work on the product 2 in the middle of transport becomes easy. The work pallet 4 can also rotate in the opposite direction to the arrow 8.

≪Movement state≫
Next, the movement state will be described. In the moving state, as shown in FIGS. 4C-1 and 4C-2, the engagement between the first recess 4b and the support sphere 5c, and the relationship between the second recess 4c and the support sphere 6c. All matches are canceled. The support sphere 5c can rotate. The support sphere 6c can also rotate. Therefore, when the work pallet 4 receives a force such as F2, the periphery of the first recess 4b can easily ride on the support sphere 5c, and the engagement between the first recess 4b and the support sphere 5c is It is easily released. Further, the periphery of the second recess 4c can easily ride on the support sphere 6c, and the engagement between the second recess 4c and the support sphere 6c is easily released. Thereby, the work pallet 4 is supported by the four support spheres 5c and the one support sphere 6c at locations other than the first recess 4b and the second recess 4c. The support sphere 6c can be depressed by pressing the spring member 6b. As a result, the work pallet 4 can be maintained in a horizontal state. Since both the support sphere 5c and the support sphere 6c can rotate, the work pallet 4 can freely move in the horizontal direction as indicated by an arrow 9. As a result, the work pallet 4 can slide to the work table 52 as indicated by an arrow 53. By moving the work pallet 4 onto the work table 52, it is possible to easily perform work such as testing and inspection on the product 2. The product 2 after the test and inspection can be returned to the transport pallet 4 together with the work pallet 4. When the work pallet 4 rides on the support sphere 6c, the support sphere 6c compresses the spring member 6b and sinks while rotating. For this reason, the work pallet 4 can ride on the support sphere 6c. Since the work pallet 4 riding on the support sphere 5c and the support sphere 6c can be freely moved again as shown by the arrow 9, it can be shifted to the positioning state.

  As described above, according to the pallet apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the work pallet 3 on which the product is placed can be easily positioned and rotated. Further, a high degree of freedom of movement of the work pallet 4 can be ensured.

  Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications, within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims, It can be changed.

1, 100, 150 ... Pallet device 2 ... Product (article)
3, 103, 153 ... transport pallets 4, 104, 154 ... work pallet 4a ... opposing surface 4b ... first recess 4c ... second recess 5 ... first sphere support device 5c ... support sphere (sphere)
6 ... Second sphere support device 6c ... Support sphere (sphere)
7 ... Plate AX ... Rotating shaft

Claims (2)

A transport pallet that moves on the conveyor line;
A work pallet placed on the upper side of the conveyance pallet so as to face the conveyance pallet and on which an article to be conveyed is placed;
A first sphere support device provided on the transfer pallet and having a sphere on a surface facing the work pallet;
A second sphere support device including a sphere that is provided on the transport pallet and sinks when pressed from above;
A first recess that is provided on a surface of the work pallet facing the transport pallet, engages a sphere included in the first sphere support device, and positions the work pallet with respect to the transport pallet;
Provided on the surface of the work pallet facing the transport pallet, and provided with a second recess that engages with a sphere provided in the second sphere support device and forms a rotation axis of the work pallet. Pallet equipment to do.   The position of the top part of the sphere provided in the second sphere support device protrudes toward the work pallet side from the top part of the sphere provided in the first sphere support device when not pressed. The pallet device according to claim 1.

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